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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · rest · rule · march · wake · tear · roll · mate

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — a law
  4. tear — to rip
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — government
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. roll — a list
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — a break
  18. mate — to breed
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — music
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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