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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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 — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — in a race
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mate — a partner
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  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