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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — the amount
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — happy
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. tear — from crying
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hide — to keep secret

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