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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — there
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — a sauce

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