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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — tied together
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — a safe
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — certain
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bore — to tire
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mark — a trace

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