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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pass — a permit
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. season — of the year
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mark — a trace
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mark — a grade

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