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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — to go on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. land — to come down
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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