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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — soda
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. field — farmland
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. foot — a measure
  21. march — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — for sport

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