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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — a country
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. land — ground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — to come down
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. leaves — to go away
  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