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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — all right
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. kick — in football
  24. wind — to turn a key

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