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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chip — for betting
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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