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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — to bear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mate — a friend
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — for sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mug — a cup
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — a partner
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mug — to rob
  23. row — a line
  24. tear — from crying

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