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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. last — to go on
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — final
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spell — letters
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. last — finally
  24. lie — to recline

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