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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — in sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — size or range
  17. staff — a stick
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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