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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fine — high quality
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — a series
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rash — hasty
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. key — in music

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