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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. march — the month
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a city
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. march — music
  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