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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — in a race
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a music group
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. can — to be able to
  24. key — for a lock

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