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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — in sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — ground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. land — a country
  24. leaves — of a tree

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