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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — employees
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. staff — a stick
  8. club — for dancing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — a tool
  11. club — a group
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for golf
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mark — a grade
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. plane — in geometry

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