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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fall — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mug — a cup
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mug — a face

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