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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — to come down
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — a face
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — a path

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