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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. charge — in control
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. key — in music
  17. club — for golf
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. key — for a lock
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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