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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mug — to rob
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mug — a face
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fall — the season

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