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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — rain
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — a match
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wind — moving air

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