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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rock — music
  10. present — a gift
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wake — a trail
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — in sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — final
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rock — a stone
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. last — to go on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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