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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cell — a phone
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — a law
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rule — government

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