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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — for pool

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