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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mate — a friend
  5. march — music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mate — a partner
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — to bend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. roll — a cake
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. roll — a list
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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