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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. shower — rain
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cell — in biology
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cell — a phone

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