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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ball — a dance
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. tear — to rip
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — in football
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — from crying

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