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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. land — a country
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rest — a break
  18. land — to come down
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — ground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stand — on your feet

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