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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cue — a hint
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a document
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — low music
  24. cue — for pool

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