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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cue — a signal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — the fruit
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cue — a hint
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. can — a tin
  18. fall — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — to sit on

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