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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chair — a leader
  23. racket — for tennis
  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