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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cue — for pool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cue — a signal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. staff — employees
  16. pit — a hole
  17. ground — a position
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — a stick

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