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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rock — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — to handle

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