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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — in a race
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cap — a hat
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. toast — bread
  24. tear — from crying

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