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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. key — in music
  13. chest — a box
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — for light
  18. snap — to click
  19. swing — in golf
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chest — of your body
  22. swing — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bulb — for light

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