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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. shower — rain
  5. swing — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cue — for pool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — a container
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — a hint

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