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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — to rip
  3. root — of a word
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. land — a country
  7. press — newspapers
  8. march — music
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — a phone
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — ground
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. press — a publisher
  20. land — to come down
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. press — to push
  24. kick — with a leg

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