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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ground — a position
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — a trail
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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