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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. last — final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — certain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — finally
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cell — in a prison

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