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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — in sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — a price
  12. net — for catching
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  24. foot — the bottom

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