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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — a grade
  6. march — music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. spell — a short time
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. board — a committee
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stem — to come from
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. board — to get on
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spell — letters
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. march — the month

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