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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lie — to recline
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — low music
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — final
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. present — there
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chair — a leader
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. bass — the fish

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