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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — a trail
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. ruler — for measuring

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