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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — to paddle
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mug — a cup
  15. drill — army training
  16. stand — to bear
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fall — to drop
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fall — the season
  21. drill — the tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a line

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