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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. present — the time now
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — there
  20. swing — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fork — a garden tool

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