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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — to go on
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. last — final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — a permit
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — finally
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — to rip
  13. craft — a skill
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. squash — to crush
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. plane — a tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. craft — boats
  24. pass — to succeed

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