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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — to tire
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kid — to tease
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — a container
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — the most important part
  24. tube — the underground

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