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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. court — of law
  13. charge — in control
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chip — for betting
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — a trail
  23. charge — a price
  24. pit — a hole

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