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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fall — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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