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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a friend
  15. face — to confront
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rash — hasty
  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