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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. object — an aim
  14. pass — a permit
  15. object — a thing
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of law

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