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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lean — thin
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a leader
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — to bend
  21. press — a publisher
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — exactly

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