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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — size or range

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