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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a hat
  8. sharp — clever
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — to rip
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stand — to bear
  20. kick — in football
  21. march — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — exactly

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