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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. game — a match
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. charge — a price
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. charge — electricity
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. charge — in control

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