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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — for catching
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — thin
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a music group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fine — all right
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of a king

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