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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. can — to be able to
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. band — a music group
  11. wake — a trail
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fall — the season
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — to visit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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