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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — size or range
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rock — a stone
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. rock — music
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cell — a phone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rock — to move gently

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