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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pop — soda
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. last — finally
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — to go on
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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