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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. court — of law
  3. mug — a face
  4. firm — decided
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mug — to rob
  13. land — to come down
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mug — a cup
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. firm — steady
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — a position
  23. court — of a king
  24. tear — from crying

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