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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rock — music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. file — a document
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rock — a stone

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