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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — hurry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — the underground
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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