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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.

Make a worksheet

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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — a trail
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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