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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ball — a dance
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — to tease
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a list
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. roll — a cake
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a great time
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a dish

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