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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wake — a trail
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. last — final
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — a series
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. last — finally

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