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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — a face
  19. club — a group
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — for golf
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — a monarch

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