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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · lash · march · swing · key · mate · wake · mug

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mug — a face
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mate — to breed

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