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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. march — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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