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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — of law
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of a king
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — to recline
  15. row — to paddle
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. row — a line
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — for sport

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