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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — all right
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — the season
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fine — high quality

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