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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. toast — bread
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tear — to rip
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hand — help
  24. bore — to tire

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