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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tear — to rip
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — the most important part
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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