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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bass — low music
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — crushed
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — for catching
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — the instrument
  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