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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. squash — the sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — to crush
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a line of people

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