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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lie — to recline
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. safe — a strongbox

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