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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · chip · rock · wave · pit · tear

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — music

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