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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — to confront
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — of a king
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pit — in a race
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — a hole

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