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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — an amount
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — from a university
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. march — music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low 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