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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — crushed
  3. net — in sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — for catching
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. net — after costs
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — the earth
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — a position

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