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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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