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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — tied together
  4. key — in music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — a publisher
  14. track — a path
  15. march — music
  16. track — a song
  17. key — for a lock
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — certain
  23. press — newspapers
  24. march — the month

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