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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — low music
  10. fall — the season
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mug — a face
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document

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