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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — magic
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. suit — to fit
  7. firm — steady
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — a company
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — a trail
  18. firm — decided
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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