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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. march — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tear — to rip
  20. last — final
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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