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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wake — a trail
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tube — a container
  11. suit — in cards
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — a line
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — to fit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — a quarrel

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