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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pass — a permit
  14. land — a country
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — ground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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