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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. march — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. suit — in cards

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