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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stand — to bear
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. chip — in a computer

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