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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — all right
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. last — finally
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — to go on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a ring
  21. kick — in football
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — final
  24. land — a country

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