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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. march — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. capital — money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — a city
  23. kid — child
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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