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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a line
  13. roll — a cake
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pit — in a race
  24. roll — a list

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