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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. drill — a practice
  10. board — to get on
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. board — a committee
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. capital — a big letter

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