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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. snap — to click
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lie — to recline
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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