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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. net — after costs
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — soda
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pit — in a race
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pop — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — in football
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kick — with a leg

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