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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. staff — a stick
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rest — what's left
  12. craft — a skill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — soda
  18. rest — a break
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — a trail
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — employees
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cold — not warm

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