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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 124 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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468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — high quality
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — a tight spot

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