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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — low music
  13. scale — in music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a dance
  19. scale — size or range
  20. land — to come down
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pop — soda
  24. scale — for weighing

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