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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. drill — a practice
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — a trail
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. craft — boats
  15. press — newspapers
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — to push
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. craft — a skill
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — a break

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