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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. object — to protest
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — in football
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — for a lock
  15. object — an aim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — music
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. key — in music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. object — a thing

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