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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. can — to be able to
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chip — to eat
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. chest — a box
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wake — a trail
  23. can — a tin
  24. pop — to visit

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