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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — child
  7. face — to point toward
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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