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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. club — a group
  5. mug — a face
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. file — a document
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mug — a cup
  17. club — for dancing
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — to be able to
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — for golf

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