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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mug — a face
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. can — to be able to
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. roll — a cake
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stock — goods

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