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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. board — to get on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitch — completely
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. board — a committee

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