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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. march — the month
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. staff — employees
  17. row — a line
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mug — a cup
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mug — a face
  23. row — to paddle
  24. chest — of your body

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