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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pop — soda
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pop — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. last — final
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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