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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mate — to breed
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mug — a face
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — a safe

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