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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. craft — boats
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — a thrill
  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