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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — steady
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. club — for dancing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. date — the fruit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tear — to rip
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — a group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. firm — a company
  21. shower — to wash
  22. firm — decided
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — a practice

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