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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. staff — employees
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. racket — for tennis

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