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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bound — tied together
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kick — in football
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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