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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rock — music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rock — a stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. roll — a list
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — child

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