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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · dip · safe · kid · lash · mark · season · date

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. land — to come down
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. season — in sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — a trace
  16. date — the fruit
  17. land — a country
  18. mark — a grade
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. land — ground
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. safe — a strongbox

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