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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — to rip
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — to keep track
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. track — a song
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — a path
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mark — a grade

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