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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — soda
  8. toast — bread
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rock — music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pop — music
  20. present — the time now
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. present — there

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