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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. present — the time now
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. present — there
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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