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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tear — to rip
  4. club — a group
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for dancing
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — in music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. drill — a practice
  18. hand — help
  19. object — a thing
  20. drill — army training
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — to be able to
  24. scale — size or range

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