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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. spell — magic
  13. ground — crushed
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bat — in an idiom

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