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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — the month
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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