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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bore — to drill
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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