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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. march — the month
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stand — to bear
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a dance
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — to come down
  24. ground — a position

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