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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mug — a face
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mug — to rob
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. can — a tin
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cap — of ice
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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