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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wake — a trail
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wound — an injury
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mug — a face
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. content — the amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wound — an injury

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