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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — to bend
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — to rest against

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