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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — in a race
  5. club — for golf
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — music
  11. club — a group
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pit — a hole
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mate — a partner

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