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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fine — all right
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — to wash
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fine — a penalty
  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