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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. snap — to click
  4. wake — a trail
  5. present — the time now
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. present — there
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — goods
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. present — a gift

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