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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. swing — in golf
  2. fine — all right
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — in music
  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