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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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468
Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kick — in football
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spell — magic
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mug — a face

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