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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. season — in sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — to keep track
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a document
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a tool
  15. track — a song
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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