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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — to bear
  3. present — a gift
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. deal — to handle
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — to rip
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. present — there
  16. rock — a stone
  17. club — a group
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rock — music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. jam — in traffic

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