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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pop — soda
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — music
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — a song
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. track — a path
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pop — to visit

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