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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — of ice
  3. court — of a king
  4. tear — to rip
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. court — of law
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fine — all right
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — a weight
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. march — the month

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