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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — soda
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — the season
  22. hand — help
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a friend

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