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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. row — a line
  21. mark — a grade
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hide — animal skin

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