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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. march — music
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — the month
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rest — a break
  15. last — final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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