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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kid — child
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mate — to breed
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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