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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mug — a face
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kid — child
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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