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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — crushed
  4. last — finally
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. track — a song
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mark — a grade
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chip — to eat
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — to wash

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