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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tear — to rip
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. firm — steady
  11. fall — to drop
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. firm — a company
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tube — a container

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