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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chip — for betting
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. current — happening now
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — an illness
  17. foot — a measure
  18. current — of water
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — electric
  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