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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 124 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — to go on
  4. tear — to rip
  5. object — an aim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — the season
  10. object — to protest
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ball — a great time
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ball — a dance
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — finally
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — a thing

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