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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. spell — magic
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — letters
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. object — to protest
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. object — an aim
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. object — a thing
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ground — crushed
  23. net — for catching
  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