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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to sink
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. ball — a dance
  11. board — to get on
  12. scale — in music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a committee
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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