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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a document
  8. rash — a series
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — hasty
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. temple — a place of worship

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