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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. march — music
  10. land — a country
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — before a funeral

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