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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — help
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — a trail

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