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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — a permit
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — a jug

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