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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — help

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