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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to click
  24. cold — not warm

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