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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. vault — a safe
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a line
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — money
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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