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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.

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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a path
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. scale — in music
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. track — a song
  8. cell — a phone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — a trail
  22. roll — a list
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — to keep track

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