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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a path
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tube — a container
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. track — to keep track
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lean — thin
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — a tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mate — a partner

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