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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — of water
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kick — in football
  13. bass — low music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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