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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — hurry
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — final

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