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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. drill — army training
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to click
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — in a prison

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