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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — final
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tear — to rip
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a grade
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — army training
  24. mark — to pay attention

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