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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — soda
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — music
  10. pop — music
  11. current — electric
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. current — happening now
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fine — all right
  22. current — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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