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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — a box
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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