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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. club — a group
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. club — for dancing
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. last — to go on
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. club — for golf
  21. tube — the underground
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. tube — a container

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