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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tear — to rip
  13. craft — boats
  14. pass — a permit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — army training
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — to bend
  24. foot — 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