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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. charge — a price
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ball — a great time
  21. charge — in control
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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