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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: tear · hide · stick · craft · court · face · ruler · march

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — to confront
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of a king
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — boats
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. court — for sport
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. court — of law
  24. face — to point toward

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