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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — boats
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. craft — a skill
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hand — help
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cell — a phone
  24. tear — to rip

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