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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. net — for catching
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — letters
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — magic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — a trail
  19. band — a music group
  20. net — after costs
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. staff — a stick
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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