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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — completely
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spring — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — help
  24. pass — a permit

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