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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. present — there
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — to visit
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mark — a trace
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — a practice
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. present — the time now
  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