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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. present — a gift
  7. rash — a series
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — in golf
  11. roll — a list
  12. fine — all right
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. court — for sport
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. roll — a cake
  23. swing — music
  24. present — the time now

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