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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — a face
  5. march — music
  6. rest — a break
  7. mug — a cup
  8. clip — for paper
  9. march — the month
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — a video
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mug — to rob
  24. can — to be able to

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