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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — thin
  9. land — a country
  10. kid — child
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — a safe
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — to come from
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. season — of the year

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