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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rest — a break
  17. present — there
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — the season
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — to drop

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