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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pass — a permit
  3. file — a tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fall — to drop
  8. present — there
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fall — the season
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lash — to lash out

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