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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. court — of law
  10. stand — to bear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. tear — from crying
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — to wash
  24. deal — a big deal

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