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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rock — a stone
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — the season
  8. staff — a stick
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. staff — employees
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lie — to recline
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. board — a committee
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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