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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — magic
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — for catching
  24. object — an aim

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