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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bound — certain
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rash — a series
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — a supporter

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