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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — to rip

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