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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — a box
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. land — ground
  10. tear — to rip
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chip — for betting
  17. land — a country
  18. bore — to tire
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — in sport

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