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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — letters
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. suit — in cards
  16. race — a contest
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. race — humankind
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. suit — clothes

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