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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — to get on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a committee
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. land — ground
  16. pass — a permit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — an injury

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