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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — a grade
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. deal — to handle
  9. land — ground
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — a permit
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. deal — a big deal

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