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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a grade
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — money
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. capital — a city

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