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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — to eat
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tear — to rip
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. date — the fruit
  24. court — of law

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