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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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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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