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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. plane — in geometry

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