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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — boats
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — rain
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — there
  14. march — music
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — a gift
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — to wash
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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