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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pit — in a race
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — of ice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — a lid
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pit — a hole
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cap — a hat
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — boats
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — from crying

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