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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cold — an illness
  18. club — a group
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. club — for golf
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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