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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fine — all right
  4. snap — to click
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mark — a trace
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — a trail
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fine — high quality

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