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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. track — to keep track
  4. cue — a signal
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — a path
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — a trail
  13. track — a song
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. suit — clothes
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fan — a supporter

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