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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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. mug — to rob
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — a box
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. last — finally
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — a line

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