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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fork — in a road
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. net — after costs
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wake — a trail

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