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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. row — a line
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. net — after costs
  11. court — for sport
  12. fine — all right
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of law
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — in sport
  22. chest — a box
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. row — a quarrel

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