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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. track — a song
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. march — the month

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