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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. last — finally
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — to paddle
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. row — a line
  13. ground — a position
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. last — to go on
  18. snap — to click
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — ground
  22. last — final
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wake — before a funeral

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