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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a song
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — the tool

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