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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in biology
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a grade
  24. leaves — of a tree

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