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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hand — help
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. firm — decided
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bear — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. firm — a company
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — the animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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