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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — in a road
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. last — finally
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. last — final
  20. drill — army training
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — a practice
  23. season — in sport
  24. last — to go on

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