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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — final
  6. sharp — clever
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. present — there
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — the time now
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — finally
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. present — a gift
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — for digging
  24. can — a tin

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