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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 a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — there
  8. court — of a king
  9. shower — rain
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. kick — in football
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — a trail
  21. present — a gift
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — the time now
  24. scale — size or range

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