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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ball — a great time
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — the season
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — letters
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cap — a lid
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tube — the underground

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