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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. charge — a price
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. last — final
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fine — all right
  16. last — to go on
  17. ground — the earth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — for baseball

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