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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kick — in football
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — farmland
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. field — a subject
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — for sport

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