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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — the month
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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