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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. club — a group
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rock — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — to move gently

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