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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. press — newspapers
  6. file — a tool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mug — a face
  22. press — to push
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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