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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — there
  6. board — a committee
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — a city
  9. pop — to visit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. present — the time now
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — to rip
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — money
  22. present — a gift
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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