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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — rain
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — of the year
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — a measure

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