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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for golf
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — there
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — for a hammer

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