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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kick — in football
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pop — soda
  12. tube — a container
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. capital — a city
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. capital — money
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — to handle

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