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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a line
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fine — all right
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — child
  21. tear — to rip
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  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