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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — to rob
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. march — music
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. march — the month
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kick — in football
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — a trainer

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