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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitch — completely
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cold — an illness
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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