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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — in football
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to sink
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cue — a hint
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rock — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cue — a signal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rock — a stone
  23. face — to confront
  24. kick — with a leg

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