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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. last — final
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fine — all right
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bear — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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