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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. deal — to handle
  4. land — to come down
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. last — final
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — low music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rock — music
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cold — the Cold War

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