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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a great time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rock — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tear — to rip
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rock — a stone
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — for catching
  24. rock — to move gently

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