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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a ring
  3. date — the fruit
  4. kick — in football
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. court — of law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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