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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 124 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. track — a path
  9. face — to confront
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — to wash
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — in football
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tear — to rip

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