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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. march — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. snap — to click
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mug — a face
  14. bark — to shout
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. plane — a tool
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mug — to rob

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