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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. march — music
  4. rock — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — a trail

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