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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — soda
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pop — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pit — a hole
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — in a race
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. last — to go on
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. last — final
  18. can — to be able to
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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