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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — to rip
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. foot — a measure

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