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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. firm — steady
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rock — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. firm — decided
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. row — to paddle
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — a garden tool

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