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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. march — music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wave — with your hand

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