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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. swing — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — in a race
  11. file — a tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — a measure
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. swing — in golf
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mug — a cup

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