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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spell — magic
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fall — the season
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ground — a position
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. board — to get on

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