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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: can · fall · mouse · club · bay · cue · march · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. 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. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. club — a group
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. march — the month
  24. 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