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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — a measure
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — wild animals
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. march — music

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