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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. firm — decided
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. firm — steady
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tear — to rip
  8. face — to confront
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. face — to point toward
  12. firm — a company
  13. toast — bread
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. face — part of the head
  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