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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rest — a break
  3. net — for catching
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. swing — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — finally
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. net — after costs
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. last — to go on
  23. net — in sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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