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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tear — to rip
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fork — in a road
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. dip — to sink

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