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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. track — a path
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ground — crushed
  8. press — newspapers
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lean — thin
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tear — to rip
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ground — a position
  19. press — to push
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cold — an illness
  23. track — a song
  24. safe — a strongbox

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