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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — a group
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. file — a tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wake — a trail
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. club — for golf
  17. file — a document
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. file — a line of people

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