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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — high quality
  7. board — a committee
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. court — of a king
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. present — the time now
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — all right
  16. present — a gift
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — there
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. court — for sport

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