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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — for golf
  21. mate — a friend
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. club — a group
  24. bore — to drill

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