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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kick — in football
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. face — part of the head
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. game — a match
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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