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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — from crying
  5. sharp — clever
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kick — in football
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — rain
  24. kick — a thrill

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