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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — high quality
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. court — of a king
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. object — to protest
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fine — all right
  14. object — an aim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. object — a thing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. court — of law

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