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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. court — for sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. court — of a king
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. court — of law
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — to recline
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bulb — for light
  24. march — the month

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