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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — there
  3. tear — to rip
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. present — the time now
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. present — a gift
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — a face

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