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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — in sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rest — a break
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a line of people

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