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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pit — a hole
  4. firm — a company
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spell — letters
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — in a race
  12. fine — all right
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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