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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. present — a gift
  3. snap — to click
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. present — there
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tube — a container
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — a series
  22. present — the time now
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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