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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spell — a short time
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spell — letters
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — to rip
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — a jug

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