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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. roll — a list
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a friend
  20. swing — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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