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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — final
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — to go on
  17. cue — for pool
  18. club — for golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cue — a hint
  22. club — for dancing
  23. last — finally
  24. club — a group

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