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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 116 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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — for catching
  10. pop — soda
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. row — a line
  13. net — in sport
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — a trail
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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