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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mug — a face
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — low music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. charge — in control
  12. drill — the tool
  13. charge — a price
  14. drill — army training
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pit — a hole
  17. drill — a practice
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — in a race

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