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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. hand — in cards
  24. squash — the vegetable

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