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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bound — certain
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. scale — in music
  24. racket — for tennis

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