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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — ground
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — to drill
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. march — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — the month
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. tear — from crying
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. swing — in golf

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