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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spell — letters
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. last — final

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