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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a list
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. content — the amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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