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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stand — to bear
  10. dip — to sink
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tear — to rip
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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