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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lean — thin
  3. bound — certain
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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