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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mark — a trace
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — a grade
  20. game — a match
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mate — to breed

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