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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — a container
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — help
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — in cards

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