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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — for betting
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hand — part of the body

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