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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — the season
  7. firm — decided
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — a company
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spring — of water
  22. bear — the animal
  23. firm — steady
  24. bear — the animal

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