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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · content · leaves · cap · mate · wake · stick · rock

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cap — a lid
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — a hat
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cap — of ice

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