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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tear — to rip
  7. court — of law
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — to handle
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — all right
  24. staff — employees

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