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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — letters
  7. file — a document
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spell — magic

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