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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — thin
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. file — a tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fall — the season
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wake — before a funeral

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