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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 124 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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a list
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. roll — a cake
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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