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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. plane — a tool
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. roll — a list
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — all right
  24. plane — in geometry

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