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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — music
  5. club — a group
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — low music
  23. season — in sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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