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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. club — for golf
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. club — a group
  21. roll — a list
  22. face — to confront
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. face — part of the head

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