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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. roll — a cake
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — a publisher
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. roll — a list
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lie — to recline
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. press — to push
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. racket — a loud noise

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