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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. can — a tin
  5. march — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — government
  11. land — ground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. can — to be able to
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — a law
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bat — in an idiom

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