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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. can — to be able to
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. degree — from a university
  19. vault — a safe
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — temperature

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