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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kick — in football
  6. present — a gift
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a great time
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chest — a box
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a dance

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