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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hand — help
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bore — to tire
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tear — to rip

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