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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pop — to visit
  3. board — a committee
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — to get on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lean — thin
  11. pop — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pop — soda
  17. mine — for digging
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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