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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. last — final
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. last — finally
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rush — a thrill
  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