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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.

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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — to confront
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — a thing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — music
  17. roll — a list
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. march — the month
  21. object — to protest
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — to point toward

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