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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. land — a country
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. land — ground
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. land — to come down

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