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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. drill — army training
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tear — to rip

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