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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. last — final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bat — in an idiom

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