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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. content — the amount
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. march — the month
  14. content — happy
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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