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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 116 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. game — a match
  8. rest — a break
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rest — what's left

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