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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — a committee
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — a container
  17. board — to get on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — army training

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