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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. staff — employees
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — child
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fall — the season
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. last — final
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — a permit
  24. last — finally

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