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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. foot — the bottom

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