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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fall — the season
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. mug — a face
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fall — to drop
  14. key — the most important part
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bound — tied together
  21. can — a tin
  22. kick — in football
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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