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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rest — a break
  4. file — a tool
  5. last — final
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — to tire
  8. board — a committee
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — finally
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. board — to get on
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a line of people
  23. board — a flat piece
  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