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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rock — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to sink
  13. field — farmland
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — for sport

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