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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. court — of law
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. vault — a safe
  14. march — music
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — a break
  24. bound — certain

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