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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wake — a trail
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — a phone
  15. march — music
  16. suit — to fit
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cell — in biology
  19. suit — in cards
  20. toast — bread
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — to recline

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