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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a trace
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. object — an aim
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — to bear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. object — a thing
  24. mark — to pay attention

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