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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — of ice
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cap — a hat
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — for golf
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. club — a group
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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