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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — thin
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. march — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — a friend

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