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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. swing — in golf
  4. march — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — of a word
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a match
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — music
  24. chair — to sit on

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