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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — a path
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a tool
  7. rock — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — finally
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — a song
  22. last — final
  23. track — to keep track
  24. last — to go on

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