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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. spell — magic
  8. press — to push
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chair — a professorship

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