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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. object — to protest
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — an aim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — a thing
  18. mine — for digging

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