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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a song
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — to rip
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — to lash out

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