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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a great time
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. race — a contest
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. sharp — clever
  8. content — happy
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — the amount
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — to eat
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — humankind
  24. content — videos and posts

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