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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — in sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. last — final
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rock — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — to go on
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kick — with a leg

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