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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — a container
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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