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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. pop — soda
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pop — music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — for sport
  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