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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. court — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — ground
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — to come down
  12. court — of a king
  13. last — final
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — in football
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of law
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — a country
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tear — to rip

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