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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a hint
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — for catching
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. drill — army training
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — a signal

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