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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. last — to go on
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. hand — help
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. last — final
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. file — a document
  23. rule — a law
  24. mug — a face

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