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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — a gift
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — there
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. present — the time now
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. march — music
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com