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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a great time
  4. key — for a lock
  5. present — the time now
  6. ball — a dance
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. present — there
  12. key — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. march — music
  21. present — a gift
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — to recline

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