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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. field — for sport
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. object — an aim
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — farmland
  11. object — to protest
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — to push
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. object — a thing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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