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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 116 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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. object — a thing
  5. bass — low music
  6. object — an aim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. row — a line
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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