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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to sink
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. last — final
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. key — for a lock
  13. last — to go on
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. row — a line
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — help
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hand — in cards

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