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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — in sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — a law
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — government
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. roll — a list
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — thin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. net — for catching

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