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

Word bank: mine · fall · toast · tear · kick · ground · cabinet · last

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. last — final
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kick — in football
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — a position
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — the season
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. last — finally
  24. tear — from crying

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