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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cell — a phone
  18. row — a line
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a grade
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lie — an untruth

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