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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — to protest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — a trail
  6. object — an aim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. object — a thing
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. foot — a measure
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fork — in a road
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — the season

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