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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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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: chest · mark · vault · season · march · perch · lash · rash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rash — a series
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — a trace
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. march — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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