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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. file — a tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — a series
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rash — hasty
  12. charge — a price
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. board — a committee
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. charge — in control
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. foot — a measure
  22. board — to get on
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cell — in biology

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