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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — a partner
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — to breed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tear — to rip

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