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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lie — to recline
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — final
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. file — a document
  24. mark — a grade

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