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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ball — a dance
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — a sauce

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