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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — a path
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. track — a song
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chip — for betting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chip — to eat
  20. firm — steady
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. sharp — exactly

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