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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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