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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. court — of law
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. shower — rain
  15. staff — employees
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. staff — a stick
  21. court — for sport
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — a trail
  24. jam — a tight spot

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