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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 116 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — for digging
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — to push
  7. pit — a hole
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — a match
  10. press — newspapers
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — to rip
  14. can — a tin
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a kind of play

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