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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — low music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — final
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — finally
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. last — to go on

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