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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. last — finally
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. last — final
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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