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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. drill — a practice
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — army training
  19. object — a thing
  20. mug — a face
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pass — to succeed

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