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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pit — in a race
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. march — music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — for money

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