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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — to tease
  14. last — finally
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. court — for sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. last — to go on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — child
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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