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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — the season
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — shares
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — in music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stock — goods
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rest — a break

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