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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — the month
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fall — the season
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — a match

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