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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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 — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — music
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — clever
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pass — a permit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stock — goods
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stock — shares
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — a phone
  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