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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — all right
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. drill — army training
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. drill — a practice
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. march — music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bass — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — a trail
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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