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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. file — a document
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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