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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — to go on
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pit — a hole
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cap — a lid
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. mate — to breed

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