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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 120 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. net — after costs
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — the most important part
  10. net — in sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — for catching
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pop — music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pop — soda
  23. key — in music
  24. pound — a weight

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