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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pop — to visit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — child
  22. cap — a hat
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — to tease

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