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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tear — to rip
  4. march — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — to drop
  12. firm — decided
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. present — there
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — a jug

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