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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. hand — help
  4. fall — to drop
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. last — final
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — in cards
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. last — to go on

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