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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — rain
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spell — magic
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rest — a break
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rush — hurry

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