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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wound — an injury

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