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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — the time now
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. present — there
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rule — government
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rule — a law
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. plane — an aircraft

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