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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — bread
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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