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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. dip — to sink
  11. march — music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. scale — in music
  14. stand — to bear
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — for digging
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. scale — for weighing

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