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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kick — in football
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. race — a contest
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — a trainer

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