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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rest — a break
  4. drill — a practice
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — army training
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — to rip
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a face
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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