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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — high quality
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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