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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fine — high quality
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pound — a weight
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tube — a container
  24. deal — an agreement

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