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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — to go on
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. key — the most important part
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — after costs
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tear — to rip
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tear — from crying
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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