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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — a video
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — of the year
  24. tear — from crying

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