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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. march — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. roll — a list
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — a cake
  22. snap — to click
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. swing — in golf

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