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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. face — to confront
  4. march — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. date — the fruit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — a break
  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