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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — letters
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — child
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spell — a short time
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — a series

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