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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — help
  5. lean — thin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. face — to confront
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — for a hammer

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