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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. net — in sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. staff — employees
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — a trail
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. staff — employees
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mate — a friend

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