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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. can — to be able to
  5. toast — bread
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  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