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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pop — music
  24. mate — to breed

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