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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — to go on
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fork — in a road
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — to rip
  17. march — music
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — finally
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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