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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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