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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — a trail
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bat — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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