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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — of a king
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — to drop
  19. plane — a tool
  20. court — of law
  21. field — for sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — part of the body

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