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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — final
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — army training
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — finally
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — to go on

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