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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. suit — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mine — for digging
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. club — for dancing
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — a friend
  12. suit — to fit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. march — music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for golf

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