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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. craft — boats
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pit — in a race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — obliged
  8. can — a tin
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — certain
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cold — not warm
  23. perch — for a bird
  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