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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — for golf
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — the season
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — for dancing

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