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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chest — a box
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — to be able to
  10. object — a thing
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — a break
  13. tear — to rip
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — soda
  19. rest — what's left
  20. object — to protest
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — an aim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — to keep secret

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