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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spring — a coil
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — a gift
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — a position
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. roll — a list
  22. present — there
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — the season

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