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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pop — soda
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. snap — to click
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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