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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · pit · cold · ball · lash · rush · perch · date

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fine — all right
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — a hole
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ball — a great time
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cold — the Cold War

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