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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — of ice
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cap — a lid
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — soda
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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