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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — child
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. lean — thin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spell — magic
  24. tear — from crying

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