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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a signal
  4. current — of water
  5. file — a line of people
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. file — a document
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — happening now
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — electric
  17. face — to confront
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. file — a tool
  24. cue — a hint

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