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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. staff — employees
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — a break
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — rain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. spell — letters
  18. staff — a stick
  19. capital — money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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