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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. charge — a price
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. snap — to click
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. charge — in control
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. band — a music group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. charge — electricity
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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