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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — magic
  20. tear — from crying
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — letters
  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