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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a document
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kick — in football
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pop — music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. file — a line of people

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