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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — the animal
  24. tear — from crying

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