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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chip — for betting
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rock — music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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