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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pass — a permit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. track — a path
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. track — a song
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — music

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