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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — to bear
  17. file — a document
  18. capital — a city
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tear — from crying

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