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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. present — there
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. present — the time now
  16. firm — steady
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. present — a gift
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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