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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — a price
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — in control
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lash — to lash out

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