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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. march — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — a phone
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — a strongbox

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