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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — a container
  7. charge — in control
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — in golf
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tube — the underground
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. object — a thing
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. dip — to sink
  17. object — an aim
  18. charge — a price
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — to protest
  24. swing — music

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