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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. current — electric
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — to recline
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. coach — a trainer

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