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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. tear — from crying
  3. key — in music
  4. last — finally
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. last — to go on
  16. pit — in a race
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pit — a hole
  19. last — final
  20. bat — the animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bat — for baseball
  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