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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — a position
  7. chip — to eat
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a document
  10. ground — the earth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tear — to rip

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