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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a dance
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cold — not warm
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stock — shares
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. snap — to click
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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