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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. march — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — government
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fine — all right
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a music group
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. plane — an aircraft

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