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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. net — for catching
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. tear — to rip
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — from crying

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