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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — happy
  8. lie — to recline
  9. vault — a safe
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cap — a lid
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — in cards
  19. content — the amount
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hand — help
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wake — a trail

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