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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fall — the season
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. firm — decided
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — an injury

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