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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to click
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — music
  13. court — of law
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. court — of a king
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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