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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a ring
  7. mate — to breed
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — music

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