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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — for catching
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rule — government
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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