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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. shower — rain
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — a series
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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