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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. lash — to lash out

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