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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — a line
  12. face — to point toward
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. face — to confront
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — a trail
  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