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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. drill — army training
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — happy
  8. bass — low music
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bass — the fish
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — a trail
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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