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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — all right
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — help
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. march — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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