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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. key — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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