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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ball — a great time
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pound — a weight
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — the season
  19. kick — in football
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. temple — a place of worship

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