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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. march — music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rock — music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. snap — to click
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. dip — to sink

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