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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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Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. scale — size or range
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — an illness
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a committee
  24. fan — to cool the air

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