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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. shower — rain
  12. rush — hurry
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — a measure
  20. row — a line
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — from crying
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cell — in biology

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