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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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 — to lash out
  2. track — a path
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — a trace
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — to keep track
  16. present — there
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ground — a position
  21. tear — to rip
  22. track — a song
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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