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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. club — a group
  4. toast — bread
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — a measure
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. tear — to rip
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitch — completely

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