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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — ground
  3. mark — a trace
  4. shower — rain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. shower — to wash
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — a practice
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a leader
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — to come down
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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