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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — a price
  7. scale — in music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. charge — in control
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — to recline
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — a stone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — size or range

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