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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. row — a line
  13. march — music
  14. key — in music
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — to paddle
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bore — to tire
  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