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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — a division
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. charge — in control
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. charge — a price
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. ground — a position
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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