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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · hand · wake · last · leaves · rest · pit · lie

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rest — a break
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — help
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — of a tree

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