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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lie — to recline
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — a path
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — to sink
  17. key — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitcher — a jug

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