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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. face — to confront
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mine — for digging
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cell — a phone
  24. face — to point toward

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