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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. swing — in golf
  5. plane — a tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. drill — the tool
  12. swing — music
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. swing — to play on
  18. drill — army training
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bat — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. foot — the bottom

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