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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — the season
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — clever
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — a series
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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