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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. present — there
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rash — a series
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. nail — on a finger

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