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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — hasty
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rash — a series
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tear — to rip

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