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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to click
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tear — to rip
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — music

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