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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — in control
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bark — to shout
  13. charge — electricity
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. last — final
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. lash — to lash out

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