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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ball — a great time
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. tear — to rip
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a dance

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