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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bass — low music
  4. press — to push
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. march — the month
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pit — in a race
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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