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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · ball · mine · wound · pitcher · tear · mate · fine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fine — all right
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tear — to rip

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