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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — child
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — before a funeral

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