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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cue — a hint
  10. march — the month
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tear — from crying

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