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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — a list
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — a break
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — soda
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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