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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — thin
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. drill — a practice
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — army training
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — to rip
  24. temple — side of the head

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