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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — to go on
  6. kick — in football
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — finally
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tear — to rip
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fine — all right
  18. tube — a container
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tube — the underground

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