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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — all right
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a dish

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