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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: cold · tear · kick · leaves · object · pitcher · foot · lie

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. kick — in football
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. object — to protest
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tear — to rip
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. object — an aim
  22. lie — to recline
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. leaves — of a tree

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