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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — a trail
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a document
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. roll — a list
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mark — a trace
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pop — music

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