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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pit — in a race
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — final
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — what's left

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