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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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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 · pit · bark · net · safe · pop · march · cold

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — music
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — an eyelash

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