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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kick — in football
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tube — a container
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — from crying

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