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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — a trail
  4. squash — to crush
  5. toast — bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cell — a phone
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — in biology
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. current — of water
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — happening now
  24. toast — the most admired

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