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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. drill — a practice
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. shower — rain
  12. rule — government
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — in a race
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — in golf
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — the season
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — to keep secret

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