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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.

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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — for catching
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — music
  12. net — in sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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