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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spell — a short time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — letters
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. board — a committee
  13. squash — to crush
  14. board — to get on
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — a trail
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mine — an explosive

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