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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — ground
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — to be able to
  24. tear — to rip

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