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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — size or range
  6. toast — bread
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. sharp — clever
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — to rip
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. nail — on a finger

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