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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. club — for dancing
  13. chest — a box
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fall — the season
  16. march — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. chest — of your body
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — high quality

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