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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — to push
  22. drill — a practice
  23. lie — to recline
  24. tear — to rip

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