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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. present — there
  3. last — finally
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. last — final
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spring — of water
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — farmland
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — for sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — a short time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — letters
  22. present — a gift
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — a subject

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