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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. tear — to rip
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rock — a stone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. march — music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. roll — a list
  15. rock — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. can — to be able to
  24. roll — a cake

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