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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. content — happy
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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