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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — a stick
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — music
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — magic

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