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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — to go on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. last — final
  12. current — happening now
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. current — of water
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — finally
  19. current — electric
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a football final
  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