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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. last — finally
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — final
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — a city
  14. last — to go on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fine — all right
  18. tear — to rip
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. suit — clothes

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