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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — the time now
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — in a road
  15. present — a gift
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tear — to rip
  21. march — music
  22. present — there
  23. mate — to breed
  24. march — the month

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