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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — thin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cell — a phone
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pass — a permit
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology
  19. march — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. march — the month

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