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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — a group
  9. file — a document
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — a tin
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. vault — a safe
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. file — a tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. date — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a line of people

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