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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a line
  6. tear — from crying
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — in a road
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fork — a garden tool

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