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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — child
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — in sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — to recline

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