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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kick — in football

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