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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — to come down
  5. board — to get on
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. dip — to sink
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. last — to go on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — final
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — finally
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. board — a committee
  24. wound — an injury

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