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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — a committee
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rock — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rock — a stone
  17. march — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — low music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bass — the instrument

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