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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cap — a hat
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — the amount
  9. rush — hurry
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. content — happy
  20. last — final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mark — a trace
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wake — a trail

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