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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. net — in sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. staff — employees
  7. date — the fruit
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — a short time
  10. net — for catching
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. pass — a permit
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — money
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  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