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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cue — a signal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — from crying

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