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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — of ice
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. plane — a tool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. roll — a cake
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitch — completely

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