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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pit — a hole
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mug — a face
  19. present — the time now
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pit — in a race

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