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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — for catching
  3. present — a gift
  4. rule — a law
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — government
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. present — there
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — a trail
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — the time now
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fall — the season
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rock — 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