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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tear — to rip
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. march — the month
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — a hole

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