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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rash — hasty
  13. last — final
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rash — a series
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — all right
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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