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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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468
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — a series
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kick — a thrill

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