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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — to rip
  11. scale — size or range
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — in music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. staff — a stick
  18. dip — to sink
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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