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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — a container
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mate — a friend
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. clip — a video
  19. squash — to crush
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the sport
  24. clip — for paper

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