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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. toast — bread
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. game — a match
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — part of the body

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