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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 116 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bass — low music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — a series
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. board — to get on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. board — a committee
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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