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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — after costs
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — in sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. jam — in traffic

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