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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bank — for money
  16. net — for catching
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — a position
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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