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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — to paddle
  12. current — happening now
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. content — happy
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — to wash
  20. game — a match
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — a monarch

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