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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spell — letters
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — magic
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. snap — to click
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — a law
  22. ground — a position
  23. rule — government
  24. fan — a supporter

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