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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spell — letters
  24. cue — a signal

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