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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. hand — help
  7. tear — to rip
  8. firm — steady
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tear — from crying
  11. root — of a plant
  12. firm — a company
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. root — the cause
  17. fine — all right
  18. firm — decided

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