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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. object — an aim
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — in music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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