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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. march — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. toast — bread
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — help
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a ring

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