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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. can — a tin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — to get on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spell — letters
  13. can — a tin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. board — a flat piece
  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