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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — music
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rule — a law
  12. can — a tin
  13. file — a tool
  14. march — the month
  15. content — the amount
  16. chair — a leader
  17. content — happy
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — to be able to
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — government

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