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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — to rip
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — to bend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — the cause
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitch — completely
  20. root — of a plant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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