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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. firm — a company
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. key — the most important part
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. drill — army training
  14. key — for a lock
  15. firm — decided
  16. key — in music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ground — the earth
  19. drill — the tool
  20. firm — steady
  21. ground — a position
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kid — child

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