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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. swing — in golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. swing — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — in sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chip — for betting

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