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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a leader
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — a container
  7. suit — clothes
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. suit — in cards
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — a series

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