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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. firm — decided
  3. content — happy
  4. present — there
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. firm — steady
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. firm — a company
  17. court — of a king
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bore — to tire
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — of law
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. present — the time now

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