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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. object — an aim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — a thing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — low music
  9. object — to protest
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kick — in football
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chest — a box
  23. kick — with a leg
  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