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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hand — help
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — for golf
  13. hand — in cards
  14. club — a group
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pit — in a race

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