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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pop — soda
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rush — to hurry

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