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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: lash · content · date · last · mate · kick · pit · rash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — a partner
  7. last — final
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — to go on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mate — a friend
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — in football
  22. rash — a series
  23. content — the amount
  24. date — the fruit

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