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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. court — of a king
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chest — a box
  12. game — a match
  13. court — of law
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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