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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. snap — to click
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — soda
  20. ground — crushed
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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