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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — a short time
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — letters
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. 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