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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. march — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lie — to recline
  7. track — a path
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — hasty

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