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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. roll — a list
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. season — of the year
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kick — in football

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