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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — all right
  14. ground — a position
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — crushed

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