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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rest — a break
  22. rash — hasty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — a series

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