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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. season — in sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — boats
  23. band — a ring
  24. bat — for baseball

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