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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hand — help
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. march — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — to come down
  16. march — the month
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — finally
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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