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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. shower — to wash
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. deal — to handle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. march — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — the month

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