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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — to drop
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fall — the season
  8. court — of a king
  9. charge — in control
  10. march — the month
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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