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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — bread
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cell — in biology
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lash — an eyelash

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