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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bear — the animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — rain
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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