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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. court — for sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. court — of law
  15. foot — a measure
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — ground
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. court — of a king
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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