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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. scale — in music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — letters
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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