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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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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: ball · lie · mine · ground · cue · cap · tear · can

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cue — a signal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — a lid
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — a tin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mine — belonging to me

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