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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. foot — a measure
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. file — a document
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ground — a position
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. fall — the season

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