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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: date · lie · kick · tear · stand · toast · march · file

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — to recline
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kick — in football
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. march — music
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tear — from crying
  24. toast — bread

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