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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ground — crushed
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. net — for catching
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — a trail

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