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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. row — to paddle
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a line
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tear — to rip

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