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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 120 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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — to bear
  13. tube — a container
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kid — child
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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