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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. court — for sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. object — to protest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — to rip
  12. object — an aim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pop — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of law
  22. lean — thin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pop — to visit

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